Passing Through the Valley of Weeping into Blessings.
Mid-week service Sermon
15 July 2026
Scripture Focus: “As they pass through the Valley of Baka (Weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.” Psalm 84:6
Introduction: The Valley We All Walk Through
Good evening, everyone. I am so glad you are here tonight. Whether you are sitting here in person or joining us from home, I want you to take a deep, quiet breath. Let the busyness of the week fade away for just a moment. You are safe here. You are loved here.
Tonight, we are looking at one single, beautiful verse from the Bible: Psalm 84:6.
Life is a journey. We all know this. Some days on this journey are beautiful. The sun is shining, the path is smooth, and our hearts are light. We feel close to God, and everything makes sense. But if we are honest, there are other days when the path goes down into a dark, painful place. The Bible calls this place the Valley of Baka.
In the ancient language of the Bible, the word Baka means weeping or tears. So, the Valley of Baka is literally the Valley of Tears. It is the place of sorrow, grief, loneliness, and disappointment.
Let’s be real with each other tonight. Every single person in this room, and every person watching, knows what it feels like to walk through a valley of tears.
- Maybe you are in that valley right now because you lost someone you love, and the silence in your home is heavy.
- Maybe your valley is a broken relationship, a child who is struggling, or a marriage that feels cold and distant.
- Maybe your valley is your health—a diagnosis that scared you, or chronic pain that makes you tire of trying.
- Or maybe your valley is silent. Nobody else can see it. It’s just a heavy, gray cloud of anxiety or sadness that follows you around every day.
If you are in a valley tonight, the first thing I want to tell you is this: You are not strange for crying. You are not a failure, and you have not lost your faith. Even the people who wrote the Psalms—people who loved God with all their hearts—had to walk through the Valley of Tears.
But here is the beautiful promise of Psalm 84:6. The verse does not say, “As they sit down and give up in the Valley of Tears.” It says, “As they pass through…”
You are not staying here. The valley is a road, not a destination. God is not going to leave you in the dark. Tonight, let’s look at how God takes our heaviest tears and turns them into something beautiful.
Subtopic 1: The Valley Lies – The Unfriendly Voice in the Dark
When we are in a hard place, the valley doesn’t just feel painful; it talks to us. The valley tells us lies. When you are crying, when you are tired, and when you cannot see the exit, a whisper comes into your mind.
The first big lie of the valley is: “You are completely alone.”
When we suffer, we tend to hide. We think, “Nobody understands what I am going through. Everyone else is happy. Look at their pictures online—everyone else has a perfect life. It’s just me.” We look around the dark valley, and we feel totally isolated. But this is a lie from the enemy of your soul.
The second big lie of the valley is: “God has forgotten you.”
When prayers aren’t answered quickly, or when the pain doesn’t go away, the valley whispers: “If God loved you, He wouldn’t let you hurt like this. He must be angry with you. He has turned His back on you.”
Have you ever heard those whispers? I know I have. In the middle of the night, when you can’t sleep and your pillow is wet with tears, those lies feel so real.
But listen to me closely: The valley cannot change the character of God. Just because it is dark does not mean God has left the room.
Think about a small child who is afraid of the dark. When the bedroom lights go out, the child might scream, “Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? You’re gone!” But the parents haven’t disappeared. They are standing right by the door, watching over the child, waiting to comfort them. The child’s fear doesn’t change the reality of the parents’ presence.
In the same way, your pain does not drive God away. The Bible says in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those whose spirits are crushed.” God does not run away from your tears. He runs toward them. When you are in the Valley of Lies, look away from the darkness and remember what is true: God is still good, He is still faithful, and He is right next to you.
Subtopic 2: Digging in the Dry Place – Finding Strength to Trust
Let’s look at the next part of Psalm 84:6. It says, “As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs…”
This is a very interesting phrase. It implies that the travelers in the valley have to do something. The Valley of Baka was a real place in Israel. It was a dry, dusty, arid desert valley. There were no natural rivers there. It was hot, barren, and exhausting.
If you want water in a dry, desert valley, what do you have to do? You have to dig.
When you are in a season of sadness or difficulty, finding joy and peace does not happen automatically. You don’t just wake up one day feeling perfectly fine. Sometimes, you have to dig. Digging means making a choice to trust God even when you don’t feel like it.
What does digging look like in everyday life?
- Digging is waking up in the morning, feeling heavy, but saying, “Lord, I don’t feel happy today, but I thank You that I am alive. I thank You for Your mercy.”
- Digging is opening your Bible and reading just one verse, even when your mind is distracted, because you need God’s words more than the world’s noise.
- Digging is turning on a worship song in your kitchen and singing along with a cracked voice, even while tears are running down your face.
- Digging is showing up to church or small group when you would rather hide under the covers, because you know you need the prayers of your brothers and sisters.
Digging is hard work. When you are physically or emotionally tired, picking up a “shovel” of faith feels almost impossible. But every time you pray a simple prayer, every time you choose to trust God instead of giving up, you are digging a well in the desert.
You might look into the well you dug and think, “It’s empty. I prayed, and I still feel sad. I read my Bible, and the problem didn’t go away.” Don’t worry. Just keep digging. You are preparing the ground. You are telling God, “Lord, I am dry, but I am making room for You to move.”
Subtopic 3: From Tears to Springs – The Miracle of Transformation
Now, here comes the miracle. The text says that as they pass through and dig, they make the valley a place of springs.
A spring is a beautiful thing. It is living water. It is fresh, cool, and clean. It gives life to everything it touches.
Think about this contrast: The valley is named after tears (Baka), but the travelers turn it into a place of springs. This means God takes the very thing that caused you pain and turns it into a source of life.
How does God turn tears into springs?
When you go through a deep trial and you experience God’s comfort, something changes inside you. You become a softer, kinder, more compassionate person.
Before the valley, you might have seen someone crying and thought, “Oh, that’s too bad, I hope they feel better.” But after you have been through your own valley, you see someone crying and your heart breaks for them. You walk over to them, put your arm around them, and say, “I know exactly how you feel. I have been there. Let me sit with you.”
Your tears become a spring of healing for somebody else.
God never wastes our pain. He doesn’t cause the bad things to happen to us, but He promises that He can use them for good. He takes your broken heart and turns it into a well of empathy.
There is a story about a woman who lost her child to a terrible illness. For years, she lived in the Valley of Tears. It was dry, dark, and empty. But she kept digging. She kept praying. She kept trusting God. Years later, she started a support group for other grieving mothers. That group became a lifeline for hundreds of women. She turned her Valley of Tears into a spring of hope for others.
Your pain today is going to be your testimony tomorrow. The very area where the enemy tried to break you is the area where God is going to use you to heal others. Don’t throw away your tears. Give them to God, and watch Him turn them into a spring.
Subtopic 4: The Autumn Rains – God Responds with Grace
The final part of our verse says: “…the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”
This is my favorite part of the verse because it reminds us that we do not do this alone. Yes, we have to walk through the valley. Yes, we have to dig the wells of faith. But we cannot make it rain. Only God can make it rain.
In Israel, the autumn rains were the most important rains of the year. The ground had been baked hard by the summer sun for months. It was like concrete. The autumn rain would come softly and soak into the hard earth, making it soft again so seeds could grow.
When you have been in a hard season for a long time, your heart can get hard, just like that summer ground. You can become bitter, angry, or cynical. You might think, “Life isn’t fair. God isn’t fair. I’m just going to protect myself and never care again.”
But when you keep digging, when you keep reaching out to God in your pain, He sends the autumn rains of the Holy Spirit.
God’s grace starts to fall on your life gently. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t manufacture it. It is a gift. Suddenly, you notice that the anger is leaving. You notice that you can smile again—a real smile, not a fake one. You notice that the heavy weight on your chest feels a little bit lighter.
The verse says the rain covers the valley with pools. Pools of water mean there is abundance. There is more than enough. God doesn’t just give you a tiny drop of comfort to help you barely survive. He wants to flood your valley with His peace. He wants to give you a peace that doesn’t make sense—a peace that keeps your heart calm even when the storm is still going on outside.
Notice the beautiful picture here: The human travelers dig the wells, and the Heavenly Father sends the rain. It is a partnership. You do your small part—choosing to trust—and God will do His big part. He will send the rain, fill the pools, and bring life back to your weary soul.
The Challenge: Don’t Build a House in the Valley
My brothers and sisters, as we begin to close this message, I have a challenge for you.
The challenge is this: Do not build a house in the Valley of Tears.
Remember the words we started with: “As they pass through the Valley…”
Too many people go through a tragedy or a hard time, and they pitch a tent there. They build a house there. They change their identity to match their pain. They say, “I am a broken person. I am a victim. I will always be lonely. I will always be sad.” They stop moving forward.
I want to look you in the eyes tonight and tell you: This valley is just a temporary zip code. It is not your home.
Do not unpack your bags in the dark. Keep walking. Even if you are limping, keep walking. Even if you can only take one tiny step today, take that step.
How do we keep walking? By keeping our eyes on the destination. The destination of this Psalm is Zion—the presence of God. The Bible tells us that a day is coming when there will be no more valleys. Revelation 21:4 promises that God will “wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain.”
Until that day comes, we hold onto His hand. If you are tired tonight, let Jesus carry you. He knows what the valley feels like. Remember, Jesus went into the darkest valley of all—the Valley of the Shadow of Death on the cross—so that you and I would never have to walk through our valleys alone. Because He came out of the grave, we know that life wins, joy wins, and love wins.
If you are hurting, keep digging your wells of prayer. Keep expecting the rain. Your morning is coming. Your springs are coming. Don’t give up.
Conclusion
Let us remember the beautiful truth of Psalm 84:6. We will face valleys. Tears will fall. But our God is a Master at changing the landscape of our lives. He takes the dry, dusty places of our grief and turns them into beautiful, green pastures filled with fresh springs of water.
You are going to get through this. The cloud will break. The rain will fall. And you will look back on this season not just with pain, but with awe at how good God was to you in the dark.
Let these truths sink deep into your soul as you leave this place tonight. The valley you are walking through is not the final chapter of your story. It is simply the ground where God is working a miracle in you. He sees every tear, He hears every whispered prayer, and He is already preparing the rain of His grace to flood your dry places. So stand tall, hold your head high, and keep moving forward with confidence. Your strength is being renewed, your springs are coming, and the joy of the Lord will be your beautiful reward. You are safe in His hands.
Lean into Him tonight. Let Him love you. Let Him comfort you. You are safe in His arms.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to You tonight, and we bring our hearts just as they are. Lord, You see every person sitting in this room, and You know exactly what is going on inside our minds and our hearts. You see the valleys we are walking through right now. You know the exact number of tears that have fallen onto our pillows this week.
Father, we pray for anyone tonight who feels completely overwhelmed by the darkness. We rebuke the lies of the valley. We speak truth over their lives right now: remind them that they are not alone, they are not forgotten, and they are deeply, deeply loved by You.
Lord, give us the strength to dig wells in the dry places. When we are tired, give us the energy to pray, to read Your word, and to praise You anyway. We open our hearts to You tonight and we ask for the autumn rains. Send Your Holy Spirit to refresh our dry souls. Soften the hard places in our hearts. Turn our tears into springs of water that bring life, healing, and hope to the people around us.
Thank You, Jesus, that You are our Good Shepherd. Thank You that You lead us through the valleys and bring us out into the light. We trust You with our pain, we trust You with our future, and we trust You with our families.
In the beautiful, precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen. God bless abundantly.